Spring Apple Blossom drives in Minnesota and Wisconsin

Apple orchards bloom across the hills above the Kickapoo River Valley in Gays Mills, Wisconsin.

Head south on the Great River Road

Photos by Lisa Meyers McClintick

Craving a Minnesota or Wisconsin road trip to celebrate the welcome end to winter? Let spring blossoms inspire your route. 

Some of Minnesota's most stunning views can be found along the 17-mile Apple Blossom Scenic Drive each spring. This byway, tucked above the Mississippi River Valley in southeast Minnesota, celebrates the apples which have thrived along these bluffs for more than 150 years.

Bluffs, like the hillsides along the Minnesota River or St. Croix River, shelter orchards from cold temperatures that sink into the valleys. The bluffs' rich limestone soil also nourishes the fruit and gives the area’s 30-some apple varieties a distinct taste.

Meander by farms, orchards

Catch the drive at County Road 3 a few miles south of Winona. This is one of the most striking stretches of the Great River Road. Look for a maze of islands to the east, along with deep ravines and lush, wooded ridges rising from both sides of the Mississippi.

From the picnic area and overlooks at Great River Bluffs State Park, you can even seen Wisconsin’s Black River delta on the opposite shore. The park’s hiking trails thread through the hardwood forest, thick with maples, basswood, oak and hickory. They flame into full glory by late September and early October. If you want to camp here, reserve these spots early.

Historic farms sprawl across Gays Mills' Orchard Ridge.

Most of Minnesota's Apple Blossom Scenic Drive hugs the ridges above Mississippi River, curving through horse and hobby farms and passing historic red barns. As the byway meanders southeast, it nears the orchards. They’re showered with delicate white blossoms in early May and thick with apples by late summer. 

Take a drive to Gays Mills

Because many of these bluff-top farms and orchards (given the proximity to La Crosse and great views) have become homesites, I actually prefer to head into Wisconsin and drive about 45 minutes south of La Crosse, Wis., along the Great River Road, where you may spot eagles and migrating waterfowl and an Amish buggy or two. 

At Wisconsin State Highway 171, head about 12 miles east to the tiny town of Gays Mills. It welcomes visitors with a burst of showy white blossoms then wows them on the east side as the highway climbs the high ridge above the Kickapoo River Valley where orchards have grown award-winning apples since 1905.

 

An elegant dinner at LaCrosse's The Waterfront Restaurant.

While orchards aren’t open in the spring, wooden signs promise fresh-picked fruits and sweets from apple pizza to pies—a perfect reason for a return trip in the fall.

Loop back to La Crosse

If you head back to La Crosse via Viroqua on Highway 61, the approximately 100-mile loop drive meanders through steep coulees and past brooks squiggling through lush meadows. Viroqua's also an ideal lunch stop with the Driftless Cafe. It serves tasty seasonally inspired meals with local ingredients, such as roasted root vegetables and trout. 

For an elegant finish to the day, enjoy the riverfront views, drinks and date-night meals at The Waterfront Restaurant and Tavern. If the weather's balmy, you can sit on the patio to catch warm spring breezes drifting along the Mississippi River.

Lupine growing along Lake Superior.

Take more scenic spring blossom drives:

Here are my favorite picks for scenic spring blossom drives in Minnesota and Wisconsin:

Bayfield, Wisconsin
You can't beat the gorgeous Lake Superior setting, artsy shops, great cuisine and views of the Apostle Islands. The month-long Bayfield in Bloom festival includes blooming orchards plus 54,000 daffodils. Our favorite Bayfield flower? June-blooming lupine which fills the ditches with an explosion of purple and tinges of pink.

Minnesota Landscape Arboretum, Chaska, Minn.
A great option if you don't have time to travel far from the Twin Cities and want to research planting your own apple or fruit trees. Call the Bloom Line at 612-625-9791 to find out what's blooming.

Door County, Wisconsin.
Another lovely Great Lakes setting and the chance to meander by both cherry and apple orchards. Door County's six-week Festival of Blossoms runs through early June and includes several package deals. It's a great time to visit before summer crowds hit.

--Photos and text by Lisa Meyers McClintick

Visit Wisconsin Fox Cities Appleton-Neenah-Menasha

Learn about famed escape artist Harry Houdini and other Wisconsin natives at History Museum at the Castle.

Make paper at the Paper Discovery Center, Appleton.

Find Houdini, a glass museum, paper history and shopping in Wisconsin's Fox Cities 

Photos & story by Lisa McClintick

Wisconsin's city of Appleton, as well as neighboring Neenah and Menasha—anchor the Fox Cities, a mashup of communities with about 250,000 residents. They grew up around the paper industry that took advantage of the surrounding Big Woods for pulp and hydro-electric power from the Fox River which drops 170 feet as it flows about 40 miles from Lake Winnebago to Green Bay.

Its paper legacy lingers with a fun, kid-friendly Paper Discovery Center in a historic warehouse on the river, along with plenty of other surprises: a look at the tricks of native son Harry Houdini, a chance to craft your own custom chocolate bar at Wilmar's, see exhibits featuring the region's nationally known glass artists and an internationally known glass collection at the Bergstrom Mahler Glass Museum, and shopping galore with boutiques lining the downtowns. 

Here's a look at the top things to do in Wisconsin's Fox Cities:

Paper Discovery Center

Handmade paper souvenir

The ordinary kitchen blender roars to life, whirling and shredding discarded office papers and newspaper comics into slurry.

A staffer at Appleton, Wisconsin’s, Paper Discovery Center coaches all their visitors on making the perfect souvenir with a litany of pre-blender questions: Colored paper? Newsprint? Glitter? How about dyed fibers?

The results are always a surprise as she helps me pour the pulpy soup into a framed screen before several more steps to wick out all the water, leaving a textured, one-of-a-kind piece of homemade paper.

Paper Discovery Center

The Discovery Center, located in a former Kimberly Clark warehouse built in 1878 from cream-colored brick, explains the global origins of paper from bark and hemp to block printing and stationery until it played a crucial role in communication for centuries with printing presses, books and newspapers.

Industrial artifacts and kid-friendly, interactive activities (including the chance to "work" in a paper factory) reveal nitty-gritty details of the industry such as papermarks and embossing. Exhibits explain the evolution to more high-tech products, such as facial tissue, disposable diapers and toilet paper. Lest anyone forget these products are luxuries, an outhouse shows visitors what older generations used—including stiff catalog pages and corncobs—and elicits groans of sympathy and tsks of surprise.

The warehouse location adds a feel of authenticity, while a gallery and café soften the surroundings, inviting guests to linger on a sun-soaked patio overlooking the Fox River as it rumbles past. 

Bergstrom Mahler Museum

Bergstrom-Mahler Museum of Glass

This lakeside mansion began with a world-class collection of paperweights with millefiori work as intricate as lace, along with an expansive collection of Germanic drinking vessels that date back to the 1500s. It's grown from there, incorporating the work of stellar creations from the modern art glass movement. Rotating exhibitions might feature giant glass corncobs swinging on iron stalks and elaborate water fountains that bring together regional talents with national recognition. 

Bergstrom-Mahler Museum

Even better: Admission is free, and if you plan ahead, adults and kids may be able to sign up for a variety of glass classes and dabble in their own colorful creations. The museum shop also ranks among the area's best places to find unique gifts (glass-themed, of course).

History Museum at the Castle

History Museum's exhibit on Houdini's famed escapes

The History Museum at the Castle grabs its share of attention with its 1920s Camelot look from years as a Masonic Temple, but it’s the exhibits dedicated to Appleton’s famous showman and world famous escape artist, Harry Houdini, that makes it stand out. Exhibits reveal a few magicians’ secrets and let visitors test their own escapist skills. Make sure you have a buddy to help if you get stuck.

A food exhibit on display through this fall cleverly dishes up regional history and culture with supper clubs, smelt fishing, “booyah,”  and letting guests try virtually spearfishing for sturgeon. Kids love it! 

Spearing sturgeon at History Museum

Catch a flying brat

Speaking of local food, nothing says Wisconsin fare like a juicy brat. Pair it up with a night of Timber Rattlers minor league baseball. The light-hearted, fun games include a sandbox in the outfield for kids and a “bratzooka” that shoots bratwurst into the audience. Games run April through September.

Make a custom chocolate bar

Wilmar Chocolate's candy bar lab

Wilmar Chocolates, a landmark candy shop since 1956, encourages creativity with a build-your-own supersized chocolate bar. Inhale the sweet, heady scent of chocolate while you mull over the endless options from fancy nuts to crushed potato chips.

Need help deciding? Try their combinations such as cherry pie with Door County cherries, almonds and cinnamon or “Kid Stuff” with gummi bears, M&Ms and pop rocks. My favorite? Chocolate with curry, coconut and pistachios--unexpected but delicious. 

Boutiques dot Neenah (above) and Appleton's downtown.

Shop until you drop

The area’s known as Wisconsin’s retail hub with its concentration of big malls and main-street boutiques. Best bets: Harp Gallery, Fox River Antique Mall and Urban Evolutions for vintage and reclaimed creations.

Stroll downtown Appleton for art and eclectic finds at Studio 213, fashionable baby clothes at Bellybeans and hands-on art at Fire Art Studio. Watch for Hey Daisy, which follows the food truck trend by putting its fashion shop on wheels. In downtown Neenah, check out Vintique’s retro chic and Lucy’s Closet pet boutique.

Hike the High Cliff

Hike Cliff State Park

Get out of town and hike the cliff-top trails High Cliff State Park for sweeping views from the Niagara Escarpment of Lake Winnebago, Wisconsin's largest inland lake.  There’s also a limestone quarry and a 40-foot tower overlooking the lake and the marina below. There's a campground, beach, marina and plenty of ways to fill a weekend getaway. 

Fox Cities dining & Accommodations

Atlas Coffee Mill and Cafe at Paper Discovery Center.

The Fox Cities have plenty of accommodations with most of the major chains. Among the top choices: 

• The Copperleaf Boutique Hotel and Spa with 75 rooms and suites sits along West College Avenue in the hub of museums and shopping and a block from the Performing Arts Center. 
• The Holiday Inn Neenah Riverwalk has 107 rooms, some with views of the Fox River with downtown Neenah nearby.

For dining, grab a homey bowl of soup, a breakfast strata, fresh salad or panini at Atlas Coffee Mill and Café, which is attached to the Paper Discovery Center.

Indulge in the pervasive Packer-mania and enjoy a white-tablecloth dinner at VinceLombardi’s Steakhouse. Diners can sip wine and tuck into filet mignon, chops or seafood while immersed in photos and memorabilia from the legendary 1960s Packers coach.

Head to Simon’s Specialty Cheese for a bag of fresh curds, chocolate cheese fudge, mozzarella whips or aged cheddars, sausages, and Wisconsin wine and beer.

Best Midwest ice cream shops keep you cool

Enjoy the Midwest's tastiest ice cream

Barb at Pumphouse Creamery

One of the best parts of summer is seeking out the Midwest's best ice cream stand, shop, parlor or drive-in. Grab a crispy, crunchy cone, pile it high with dense, sweet ice cream or tangy, refreshing sorbet. It's one of the most luscious (and cool) ways to savor seasonal fruits and flavors. 

Here are my top picks and tips for enjoying the best ice cream in Minnesota and the Upper Midwest: 

Pumphouse Creamery
4754 Chicago Ave., Mpls., 612-825-2021

The local farmers who make this ice cream shop a possibility are featured on the walls. The care shows as owner Barb Zapzalka scoops up sea salt caramel, handcrafted strawberry, blueberry buttermilk and local wild black raspberry at this little Twin Cities ice cream store. Just as good: the handmade Minnesota harvested multigrain cones. 

If you've got your dog along, you can get special cups just for him or her in vanilla or peanut butter with less sugar. Word of advice: Check their Facebook page to find out when seasonal flavors are available so you don't miss them.

Sebastian Joe’s Ice Cream Café
Among the first to up the ice cream ante, Minneapolis's Sebastian Joe's has been scooping its exquisite raspberry chocolate chip and more than 100 other flavors since 1984. You can pick from about 24 daily choices, but we never seem to get past the raspberry. It's that good.

Other temptations: Pavarotti (banana, caramel, and chocolate chips), Immaculate Confection (vanilla, honey, ginger and strudel), white licorice with freshly ground anise, and hilariously named Nicollet Avenue Pothole and Praline Home Companion. Among their sorbets, you'll find ultra refreshing and unique tastes such as orange basil, mint pink grapefruit and red papaya. 4321 Upton Ave. S., Mpls., 612-926-7916; 1007 Franklin Ave. W., Mpls., 612 870-0065

Madison's Chocolate Shoppe ice cream.

 Chocolate Shoppe Ice Cream

With nationally lauded dairy program at Madison's University of Wisconsin, you know there has to be good ice cream. Babcock Hall Dairy Store, where the university makes its own ice cream (and you can see the process) has a fiercely loyal following. They do have good flavors, such as orange chocolate, but I prefer the denser, super premium Chocolate Shoppe Ice Cream, another Madison creation. 

Best flavor bets: strawberry lemonade (this summer's new flavor), Door County cherry, dark and rich Zanzibar chocolate, and fat Elvis (banana, chocolate, peanut butter). Some other unique options among their 110 flavors include honey ginger and horchata (a sweet Mexican rice milk). Customers also can find non-fat yogurt, soy ice cream, no-sugar ice cream and sorbets for anyone on special diets.

You can Chocolate Shoppe ice cream at its three Madison stores or in other locations such as Kalahari Resort's Sweet Shop at Wisconsin Dells, one of our family's favorite treat stops. 

Why here? Besides the ice cream, the sweets are picture-perfect and wonderfully creative whether it's candied apples or playful, googly-eyed chocolate creations. Plus you can eat your ice cream in the African-themed lobby where you might see a live tiger cub snoozing or playing.

In Minnesota, you can get Chocolate Shoppe ice cream at the The Creamery in Rushford along the Root River Trail in southeastern bluff country. It's one of my favorite areas of the state, and if you bike there from the charming hub of Lanesboro, you've more than earned a huge cone.

Ella's Deli  & Ice Cream Parlor

Another Chocolate Shoppe ice cream outlet worth mentioning is the whimsically eclectic Ella's Deli in Madison--one of the best places to dine with kids. This place is part restaurant, part toy museum and part ice cream parlor (remember the heydays of those in the 1970s?). 

Grilled pound cake a la mode.

There are moving toys and flying objects overhead (think superheroes and Harry Potter), games under glass at each table, and a bizarre, but fascinating collection of automatons including mechanical bare feet that sing. Really. There’s also a merry-go-round outside. Besides serving Chocolate Shoppe ice cream cones, they heap it onto grilled pound cake for dessert. Yep. Grilled pound cake with lots of whipped cream, too. Take a few friends or kids to help you eat it.

Michigan's divine tart cherry sorbet and ice cream

Cherry Republic's tangy-sweet cherry pie ice cream.

Across Lake Michigan, Traverse City has taunted my taste buds for years. Truly. I got hooked on its tart cherry sorbet in 2005, and finally got back for another round in June. Tangy, sweet and utterly refreshing. 

As the tart cherry capital of the country, the variations on cherry ice cream is mind-boggling. We'll take the vanilla with real chunks of cherry pie blended in, thank you very much.

Favorite ice cream destinations: The cheeky and beautifully landscaped Cherry Republic in Glen Arbor and family-run Moomer's dairy just outside Traverse City.

Grab a fresh berry shake at the family-run Peppermint Twist in Delano, Minn.

Find a drive-in

If you can't hit the road--and it's not easy with gas prices where they are--look for local drive-ins that  are as comfy and delightful as a meatloaf dinner served by Grandma. I love The Drive-In in Minnesota's Taylor's Falls with its giant root beer mug and homemade root beer. The playful pink Peppermint Twist in Delano, Minn., is just as fun and wedges into the memories of children who love its kid-friendly play and picnic areas. Best bet: fresh berry shakes.

Graeter's blackberry chocolate

Troll your local freezer cases

If you haven't trolled the freezer cases of upscale grocers such as Minnesota's Lund's or Byerly's lately, that's another sweet hotspot for cooling off. Cincinnati's hometown favorite, Graeter's ice cream, hit the cases earlier this year. They make small batches and stir in melted chocolate so it blends in as big irregular hunks you can fight over. 

I tried its trademark blackberry chocolate at its Cincinnati shop years ago, and it was as good as I remembered when I tried the pint in the freezer case. Graeter's mint ice cream is divine, as is the strawberry.

Even better: check the freezer cases of your local co-ops. They'll often carry the best locally made ice cream and sorbets.

 Please chime in with your favorites, too!

 

Take the kids on a farm stay vacation

Mary Veraguth helps our girls collect fresh eggs for breakfast.

Story & Photos by Lisa Meyers McClintick

Join in with farm chores and fun at Wisconsin's Room to Roam

Want to hear your kids shriek with joy? Let them run loose at Room to Roam, a working farm perched along the picturesque Mississippi River bluffs near Fountain City, Wis. 

Katie and her favorite kitty.

You can wear them out the old-fashioned way: chasing chickens, scampering after farm cats and dogs, weeding and raiding the garden, picking berries and giving goats a fresh green stalk of corn.

We enjoyed their down-home hospitality on our son's 8th birthday a few years ago. It was one of our most memorable trips ever. In an era of waterparks and fancy resorts, it's easy to forget the freedom and magic of a simple place in the country.

Farm expands to haycation fun
Guests are free to do what they want, but some are up at 5 a.m. when farm kitchen’s bird clock chirps and announces the day’s first milking. They can head down the dirt road to owner Jess and Mary Veraguth’s farm, where they milk about 50 cows, four at a time for two to three hours. 

Jess shows us how to feed calves.

Veraguths have farmed on this land above the Mississippi River Valley for four generations. When they expanded to 300 acres about 15 years ago, they opened the adjacent farmhouse to guests. It became the Room to Roam experience, which bales together a field trip, farmer’s market and country vacation.

Step back in time
The guest house feels like a time warp with crocheted knick-knacks and bright flowered wallpaper in the kitchen. And it wasn't just the farm-inspired fun that made them shriek. The house's crickets did, too--the one part of country life that rattled our city kids. They wouldn't sleep on the floor, so they passed out in a pile of three on the bed.

Piled together, safe from crickets.

After morning chores and a break for breakfast, Jess Veraguth takes guests on a hayride, bumping through the fields past lush stalks of corn to the edge of the bluff and a breathtaking view of the river valley. It’s only a few minute’s drive to Winona, Minn., or the small town of Fountain City where you can grab an ice cream cone and enjoy meandering along the Mississippi.


Feed calves, collect freshly laid eggs

When evening rolls around, families hold on to two-quart bottles of milk that hungry calves greedily empty in minutes. Then it’s time to collect a bucket of eggs from Black Star hens. 

We loved the brilliant yellow eggs for breakfast.

Guests are welcome to raid the garden, too. Our girls would eat the sun-warmed tomatoes like apples while our son climbed the super-sized round bales of hay.

The peaceful country setting and heavy dose of nostalgia keeps several families coming back regularly. For others, the farm offers a rare chance for kids to roam free, feel connected to the land and to learn about farming in an era when the county’s number of dairy farms has dwindled from 50 to a handful.

“I do this for the kids,” says Jess Veraguth. “The things we’re doing now are almost part of the past. This is like a trip back in time.”

Room to Roam's guest house.

Read more about it
 For more information, you can call Jess and Mary at 608-687-8575. No e-mail. Remember, they do things the old-fashioned way.
You can also watch KARE-11's recent Gopher Getaway on the farm or go to Farmstays.us.com for more information. If you want a farm experience for your family, read the entries at Farmstays.us.com carefully. Many places run more like a B&B and do not allow kids under 12.

Ingalls Homestead in DeSmet, SD, has onsite camping

More farm vacation experiences for families

South Dakota also has two excellent farm experiences for families. The bonus? They let kids follow in the footsteps of Laura Ingalls Wilder.

You'll need to be a camping family or game for sleeping in converted sheep wagons at the Ingalls Homestead in DeSmet, S.D. Sleeping in the wagons are on my wish list, especially with the gorgeous wide-open prairie views. You could see a storm roll in for miles or watch a fabulous sunset. 

Sisters get in the spirit of DeSmet's Wilder Pageant.

Little House on the Prairie

Of course, you don't have to spend the night to enjoy this magical place. It's open all day to visitors who come to see the horses and colts, ride in a horse-drawn buggy, see a sod house, play with kittens and visit a one-room schoolhouse. There are more Laura Ingalls Wilder sites in town, along with two B&Bs. Prairie House Manor B&B does a delightful job with children, even making special pancakes from "Little House in the Big Woods."

Camp in a wagon at the Homestead.

For a non-camping farm experience, it's about 25 miles to Possibility Farm B&B in Carpenter, South Dakota. It has many of the same experiences as Room to Roam, but it's more of a ranch atmosphere. 

If you're looking for more inspiration for hands-on, unique "Trips You'll Talk About," check out the feature in Midwest Living.

Long weekend: Devil's Lake & Wisconsin Dells

Devil's Lake State Park

Wisconsin Dells' fall fun beyond waterparks
Need a fun family getaway for Minnesota's four-day teachers' workshop weekend? One of our favorites is a trek to Wisconsin Dells. Sure, the indoor waterparks are a gimme (and weatherproof), but there are several other outstanding attractions that get lost in the crush of things to do. Here are my best picks for a fall weekend:

Ride the train
About half an hour south of the Dells, the tiny town of North Freedom keeps vintage trains chugging throughout the summer. The last Mid-Continent Train Ride of the season--the Pumpkin Special--is a scenic and fairly soothing way to see what is left of fall colors Oct. 23-24. It's a short tour--only about an hour round-trip--which makes it ideal for preschoolers and elementary-aged kids.

Mid-way through the ride, you can hop off and pick out a pumpkin to take home. Adults should be able to appreciate the antique bench seats that can face front or each other, along with classy wood trim in the renovated cars. Fares: $15, adults; $13, kids 13-18; $9, 3-12.

Hike Devil's Lake State Park
OK, I got cocky. That's what happens when you're from the Land of 10,000 Lakes. You think you've seen bodies of water in all shapes and sizes. Wrong. Devil's Lake State Park near Baraboo (about 15 minutes from the Dells) can drop jaded jaws with its density of color across 10,000 acres, toe-tingling cliff views and wonderfully rugged hikes.

Start with the wooded drive into the park where the very air seems infused with golden fall color. Then hike up to the top of cliffs for sweeping views of the 360-acre spring-fed lake. If you have kids who aspire to be billy goats, hang on tightly and know this is their kind of turf with shaded, intricate rock formations to climb across.

Beyond golden yellow maples that arc over the roads, you'll be able to hike past vivid red maples that look like they've been acid-washed with yellow. It's a funky and memorable pattern that makes the trip a bountiful bonanza for leaf-collectors.

Best for kids ages 5 and up. Park admission is $5 for Wisconsin residents, and $10 for anyone out of state. Colors are nudging past peak, but you can get updates through the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources.

Take a Wilderness zip line

If you haven't had a chance to try ziplining yet, The Wilderness Canyon Zip Line Tour opened one last year that offers plenty of thrills without being terrifying (assuming you're OK with stepping off a platform high above the trees). The price also is decent at about $45/person for Wilderness Resort guests or $65 for the general public. The route includes five lines across the property's canyon.

Our son, who was 10 last year, was a bit nervous taking that first step, but harnesses feel snug and safe. You get used to the whirring hum of cable as you buzz across it letting gravity do its thing. It's a fun, fresh way to enjoy being outside and stretching those comfort zones. The zip line also is less scary than the indoor ropes course at Kalahari Resort. Kids (and parents) wanting to try the zip line need to be at least 70 pounds.

Devil's Lake leaves

For more information:
Additional reviews on Dells-area attractions can be found on the new iPhone app by Melanie Radzicki McManus. Watch for my own app on Minnesota's best lake getaways by Christmas 2010.

Garlic ice cream, mustard custard or an organic creamery?

You'll be amazed at the number of garlic varieties.

Celebrate all things garlicky and good at Garlic Festival
When it comes to bizarre food festivals, the Midwest is catching up to California. You no longer have to go to Gilroy's famous Garlic Festival to taste garlic ice cream. You can do it right in Minnesota's Hutchinson at the 5th Annual Garlic Festival Saturday, Aug. 14.  I dare you.

I can't say I liked the tiny bits of garlic in my ice cream last year, but the taste was pretty good. I can check it off my life list and say I tried something new.

It looks deceptively innocent.

The best part of this festival is realizing there is a huge world of garlic out there, and these mammoth, homegrown, delicious bulbs are nothing like the garlic you'll get in the grocery store. Armenian garlic's big bulbs turn to savory, mellow, tender chunks you can spread beautifully when roasted. Music, another variety, also has a delicious aroma and a little more kick, as does German red.

Garlic Fest founder Jerry Ford had me so hooked on better garlic two years ago, I bought enough to get us through the winter and had to hit Garlic Fest last summer to restock.

This year's Garlic Fest is Aug. 14

Besides the chance to see, buy and taste a wide variety of garlic--from mild to knock your socks off--they keep the mood playful here. There are plenty of kids' activities, such as kite-making and flying, plus live music and entertainment.


The biggest draw is the Great Scape Cafe using chefs from some of Twin Cities' best restaurants, including Birchwood, Lucia's and the Modern Cafe. They know the value of a superior garlic bulb and will be preparing braised pork with fruit compote and aioli, a tangy cashew wild rice salad, heirloom tomatoes with poached garlic and honey vinaigrette, and more.

As Jerry puts it: "If that doesn't make your mouth water, you must be a vampire."

Admission's $5 for adults, $3 for kids under 12. If you miss this year's event from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., it's always the second Saturday in August.

National Mustard Day: Celebrate America's No. 2 condiment
Not up for garlic ice cream? How about mustard custard? Wisconsin's Mustard Museum with its famously hilarious sense of humor has moved to Middleton (by Madison) and hosts its annual National Mustard Day this Saturday (August 7). I'm tickled to see they're adding chocolate pretzel crunch to the custard. I jokingly suggested pretzel bits to founder Barry Levenson about four years ago, but never thought about chocolate. Sounds rather good.

The party runs from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. with entertainment by the Poupon U accordion band and other entertainers. It's almost worth the road trip just to get the Poupon U T-shirts. Take a spin through the museum, though, and you'll never snub this condiment again. The medicinal uses are fascinating, as are the antique mustard pots and other oddities. Be prepared to sample a lot of mustard and crunch a lot of pretzels.

Plenty of artisan Wisconsin cheese and juicy, smoky brats are a given.

It's all good at Pumphouse Creamery

If you're not that adventurous, check out the Discoveries section of the June issue of Midwest Living with the Sundae Best feature.

I was lucky enough to test Pumphouse Creamery in Minneapolis for them. There are 20 handmade, organic flavors with many ingredients grown here in Central Minnesota. These are all dreamy combinations: buckwheat honey; sea salt, caramel and praline pecan; and brandy-soaked cherry with brownie bits. Get them scooped up on their homemade multi-grain cones.

OK, time to wipe the drool off my keyboard.
Right: Owner Barb Zapzalka with her ice cream. Good luck deciding on just one flavor. She smartly offers a multi-scoop sampler for customers and lower-sugar, lower-fat ice cream cups for their pampered pets.